was on the dance floor.
My brothers did their best to block me in, stopping anybody from daring to come near. I slowly moved away, rolling my eyes.
“You know, if you keep letting them pin you in, you’ll never get to dance with a guy,” Paige said, taking my hand. “What about the bartender? Riggs?” She gestured over to the man with his honey eyes and wicked grin.
“I’m pretty sure he only has eyes for Benjamin. And maybe Archer. Not so much for me.”
“His eyes were on your butt. I’m pretty sure he swings for any Montgomery,” Paige corrected.
“Well, my gaze doesn’t swing that way—at least not tonight. I want to have fun and not deal with men or egos or penises or anything of the sort.”
Colton’s eyes widened as he came up from behind Paige and slowly raised his hands before backing away.
I winced. “You are going to have to explain to Colton that I didn’t mean to just blurt out the word penis like that.” I blinked. “Or now. Again.”
Paige put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. “Annabelle,” she mock-whispered.
“I’m sorry. Go. Fix it. I’m not crazy. I promise.”
“You know, that’s what they all say,” Paige said solemnly before grinning again. She kissed my cheek and moved off to her boyfriend.
I danced with two of my brothers and then between another group of women who had come in for a good night. I felt free. I might not have a boyfriend or anybody on the horizon, but that was fine. Honestly, I didn’t need that in my life. I had my family, a job I loved, and a massive project coming up that I needed to focus on.
I didn’t need any more complications.
By the time the night wound down, my feet ached, and I regretted my shoes. But they made my butt look great, and I felt sexy in them. Sometimes, a girl just needed to feel good. I sat in the passenger seat as Benjamin drove me home. He’d only had one drink for the night, and I’d had three. It only made sense.
“Thanks for being the DD tonight,” I said softly.
“Thank you for not taking off your shoes in my car because I know you want to,” he said wryly. “You know I hate feet.”
He didn’t, but he liked making fun of me. I stuck out my tongue at him. “Weirdo,” I teased.
“Maybe. But as I’m the one who is driving, and it’s my car, you get to follow my rules. And I’ll do you the courtesy of not taking off my shoes in your car when my feet hurt.”
I grinned and shook my head. We pulled into my driveway, and Benjamin looked over at the house to my right. “Looks like your new neighbor moved in.”
I nodded. “These houses get gobbled up fast, even in this housing market.”
“It’s a boom right now, hence why I have a job,” my brother, the landscape architect, said. “But I’m sad your previous neighbor had to move away.”
“Me, too. I liked her. Hopefully, this new person is just as quiet, doesn’t have forty kids that will be in my yard, and is a happy person.”
“You know we’re going to end up becoming those crotchety old people who hold brooms and tell kids to get off their lawns.”
“Well, if they would stop playing in my yard and play in theirs, it wouldn’t be a problem,” I said, laughing.
“You’re talking to a man who works on landscapes for a living, I understand.” He kissed the top of my head before I got out of the car.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Be careful,” Benjamin added, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
My brothers acted like I could be snatched off the street in front of my home while they watched. But I was careful. I put my key in the lock, walked inside, and then turned and waved as Benjamin drove off. I let out a breath and then frowned as I looked over at the phonebook on my driveway. I hadn’t noticed it being delivered earlier, and I didn’t want it outside all night. I sighed and went to pick it up.
“Hey.”
I whirled, dropped my keys, and tripped over my heels. I fell on my ass, the pavement digging into my palms. I looked up at the man silhouetted against the moonlight.
“Crap. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you or freak you out. I was just letting you know that I was out here, headed into my house. But